新西兰英语 737 Waitangi

 　　If you do not already know about Waitangi Day, listen to previous podcasts: February 5th 2012 and February 6th 2011.

　　Waitangi is in the Bay of Islands. It is just a short walk from the town of Paihia and across the harbour from Russell. There is a short ferry ride to Russell from Paihia.

　　Waitangi is the home of the Treaty¹ grounds. The Treaty of Waitangi was signed by many Maori chiefs at Waitangi on February 6th 1840. It was a treaty between Queen Victoria and Maori. The Queen agreed to protect Maori and give them all the rights of British people.

　　You can visit the Treaty grounds. This is free for New Zealanders because it is one of our most important historic² sites. (Just show your drivers’ licence³.) First you will see a video about the signing of the Treaty.

　　Next, you can walk through a bush track to a marae and a huge war

　　waka. This is a canoe⁴, big enough to carry 60 men.

　　The Treaty House is open for visitors. This was the home of James Busby, the representative of Queen Victoria from 1832. There is a beautiful garden around the Treaty House. You can also walk around the grounds above the beach and enjoy the view of many small islands.

　　Vocabulary

　　?previous – a time before

　　?ferry – boat which travels between two places

　　?treaty – agreement between Britain and Maori

　　?rights – e.g. right to vote, right to protection

　　?grounds – land

　　?site – place

　　?representative –the Queen couldn’t come to New Zealand so he took her place

　　Useful phrases

　　?‘one of the most important sites’. Note that ‘sites’ is plural⁵. Think of many sites and this is one. This is a useful expression to learn e.g. one of the most important celebrations / people / occasions⁶ / lessons etc.

　　?‘There is a ferry ride’. ‘There is a beautiful garden.’ ‘There is’ – a useful way to begin a sentence e.g. There is a red sunset / there is a park in the town / there is a bus service / there is a bus every 10 minutes.

1 treaty   

n.条约；协议，协定

参考例句：

• Hungary has indicated its readiness to sign the treaty.匈牙利已表示愿意签订该条约。
• I believe this treaty will pave the way to peace in Europe. 我相信这个条约将为欧洲的和平铺平道路。

2 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

3 licence   

n.证书；许可证，执照；v.许可；批准

参考例句：

• The restaurant applied for a licence to sell wine.那家餐厅申请售酒许可证。
• He hadn't paid his television licence fee.他尚未缴纳电视机使用许可费。

4 canoe   

n.独木舟；vi.乘独木舟，划独木舟

参考例句：

• They slid the canoe down to the water.他们使小舟滑到水中。
• It is only the second time he has been in a canoe.这仅是他第二次乘小游艇。

5 plural   

n.复数；复数形式；adj.复数的

参考例句：

• Most plural nouns in English end in's '.英语的复数名词多以s结尾。
• Here you should use plural pronoun.这里你应该用复数代词。

6 occasions   

n.机会( occasion的名词复数 )；时刻；原因；需要

参考例句：

• The prosecution stated that intercourse had occurred on several occasions. 控诉方称发生过数次性交。
• He has been late on numerous occasions. 他已经迟到过无数次了。